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Approve a contract with Carol Cramer Brooks to provide Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT), Instructor Development Training and technical assistance to staff at the Juvenile Detention Facility for an amount not to exceed $100,500 for the term of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018; Authorize the County Administrator, pending County Counsel concurrence, to execute the agreement; and Authorize the Chief of Probation or his designee to execute any amendments which are technical or administrative in nature and remain within the contract amount.
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Published Notice Required? Yes_____ No__X__
Public Hearing Required? Yes_____ No__X__
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Chief of Probation recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve a contract with Carol Cramer Brooks to provide Cognitive Behavioral Training, Instructor Development Training and technical assistance to staff at the Juvenile Detention Facility, for an amount not to exceed $100,500 for the term of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.
2. Authorize the County Administrator, pending County Counsel concurrence, to execute the agreement; and
3. Authorize the Chief of Probation or his designee to execute any amendments which are technical or administrative in nature and remain within contract amount.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach (CBT) is a treatment that focuses on helping offenders improve their social skills, means-end problem solving, critical reasoning, moral reasoning, self-control, impulse management and self-efficacy. CBT has been proven effective in various criminal justice settings, both in institutions and in the community. The benefits of therapeutic approaches based on counseling, skill building approaches, and multiple services improve outcomes in rehabilitation and recidivism reduction.
The proposed contract aims to provide cognitive behavioral training to the staff at the Juvenile Detention Facility which is focused in supporting the department’s mission to improve the community’s safety and to promote the well-being of detained youth. Adapting cognitive behavioral therapy to the Solano County juvenile detention facility empowers staff with the most effective tools possible to build healthy relationships with youths, teach pro-social skills and respond to both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors effectively. Staff fully trained in CBT ensures that youth receive the CBT concepts through instruction and role modeling which ensures that their behavior is observed, assessed, and guided by qualified staff.
Carol Cramer Brooks
Carol Cramer Brooks is a Juvenile Justice Consultant and former Chief Executive Officer of the National Partnership for Juvenile Services. Ms. Brooks has an extensive background in the juvenile justice field with over 30 years of experience providing academic instruction in youth centers and providing training and technical assistance for supervisors, administrators, trainers and educators in detention and correctional facilities nationwide. Ms. Brooks has collaborated in the development of different Memorandums of Understanding with the Department of Justice in Washington DC in efforts to develop and implement special education services and to address issues identified in federal litigations. Her other accomplishments include collaborating in several publications for the U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention. In California, Ms. Brooks has provided training and consulting services to Alameda County.
There are two training components contained within the contract. The first is Cognitive Behavioral Training 2.0 (CBT 2.0) which is a training for all Group Counselors, Senior and Supervising Group Counselors assigned at the Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF). CBT 2.0 provides JDF staff with a skill set that engages youth in evaluating their situation and options, delaying impulsive behaviors, and assisting in better decision making. The approach has been proven to reduce incidents within facilities and to reduce recidivism by changing the thinking and decision making process. Reduced incidents and recidivism has a positive impact financially for the County and on safety in the community. The ability for the facility to engage all youth in this approach requires that staff have a full understanding and complete training in this skill set.
The second training, Instructor Development, is training for the field staff (Probation Officers) who have taken on a training role within the organization. The Instructor Development curriculum had been provided at JDF to enhance training techniques for the in-house instructors. The Department is expanding this opportunity to trainers on the field side due to the positive outcomes derived from the training at JDF. The improved training techniques assure that training provided by Department staff is delivered in a consistent and positive manner. In addition, increasing the capacity of the in-house trainers improves the Department’s ability to provide quality training and retention of the subjects being taught. Ms. Brooks will continue to provide trainer development and coaching opportunities for the members of the training team as they grow their trainer skills and develop the training function. She will work with members of the training team to develop and co-train the training programs, reinforce skills learned and address deficiencies in program implementation
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The total cost for this contract is included in the FY2017/18 Probation Department Adopted Budget. This program is primarily funded by the Board of State and Community Corrections - Standards and Training for Corrections (STC) with minimal county general fund contribution.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board of Supervisors could choose:
1. Not to approve the proposed contract with Carol Cramer Brooks; however, this action is not recommended because the implementation of Cognitive behavior practices have been proven to reduce recidivism and promote the well-being of detained youth.
2. Not to delegate signing authority to the County Administrator to execute the standard contract and not to Authorize the Chief of Probation or his designee to execute any amendments which are technical or administrative in nature and remain within contract amount. These actions are not recommended since it would reduce flexibility and timeliness in completing scope of work.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County Counsel concurs with Department’s recommendation.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION